Wikimedia Sweden fined for copyright infringement

The High Court of Sweden on Monday called Wikimedia Sweden guilty of violating copyright law due to the fact that the resource provides free access to its database of photographs of artwork without the consent of artists.

Wikimedia is a non-profit organization that supports the work of Wikipedia and a number of other resources, and has a free photo database that anyone can use for educational purposes. The Visual Copyright Society in Sweden (BUS), which represents artists, photographers, illustrators, and designers, went to court.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of BUS, arguing that while private individuals are allowed to photograph artwork exhibited in public places, “a completely different matter” is to provide free and unlimited access to such photographs.

“It can be assumed that such a database has commercial value, which is not insignificant. The court concludes that artists are eligible for this profit, ”the court said in a statement.

The amount of damage that Wikimedia Sweden will now pay BUS will be determined later at the Stockholm District Court.

Wikimedia Sweden expressed disappointment with this decision. "The decision of the Supreme Court shows that we have a copyright law that is behind the times and does not take into account the particularities of the reality in which we all live," the organization said in a statement. It also notes that any tourist who takes a selfie against a background of a famous attraction and distributes a photograph on the Internet can be considered a violator of copyright law.

BUS, meanwhile, recalled that if Wikimedia Sweden had not refused to sign a license agreement that “would have cost several thousand crowns per year” (several hundred euros / dollars), now they would not have to spend hundreds of thousands of crowns to pay for lawyers and fines.

Anna Sidorova © Gallerix.ru